It's Tradition
by tiramisuspice
Summary: Maya didn't particularly like Christmas parties. Too much Christmas cheer, too many people getting too tipsy on spiked eggnog (okay… so that was admittedly funny), and too many people acting lovey dovey. Christmas parties sucked. Holiday One-Shots Josh/Maya


**Okay so I struggled on whether to make this a Lucaya or Jaya and ultimately went with Jaya because I'm still a little stuffed with GMHFTH. Me thinks me ships da Jaya more than da Lucaya now.**

**This is a quick holiday piece I never got around to writing during the actual holidays. So happy belated holidays everyone!**

**On a side note, does anyone else think Rowan Blanchard is an adorable little cutie pie? **

**A/N: It's kind of hard to write Josh since I haven't seen enough of him to really get a stronger grip on his character. Also, this story features ****_my_**** take on Older Maya. She's more mellowed out and doesn't live life as recklessly (because now she has a lot more to live for than when she was a child).**

**Rated K+ for Kissy Kissy Makes Me Happy**

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own GMW and am only using the characters for fun because I love forcing them into crazy situations. MWAHAHAHAHAAH!**

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><p>Maya didn't particularly like Christmas parties. Too much Christmas cheer, too many people getting too tipsy on spiked eggnog (okay… so that was admittedly funny), and too many people acting lovey dovey. Christmas parties sucked.<p>

Which was why she had huffed and hemmed and hawed, trying to get out of Riley's invitation as her plus one to Topanga's office's Christmas Eve gala at the Ritz Carlton downtown. Riley tried to tempt her with fancy tuna, and smoked salmon, and all you can eat ham and other amazing delicacies that would literally cost her two months' worth of paychecks just to afford. Riley had also told her she was inviting their friends and that most of her family would also be in attendance, as well as some attractive sons of her mother's colleagues and coworkers.

Maya knew what Riley had been attempting to do. Good looking guy scouting was always a favourite past time of theirs, especially since they had entered the world of high school two years ago, and their eyes had been opened to the attractive male species already _through_ with puberty. It had been quite a tempting offer.

But ultimately, Maya had declined for her aforementioned reasons. And also because she never really liked Christmas. None of her Christmas memories had ever been very good. The best one she recalled having was singing Christmas carols from the radio in her mom's diner on Christmas with some homeless men and women from the street.

But of course, Riley, with her annoyingly adorable meddling had taken it upon herself to contact Katy and notify her of the open invitation. Katy had rejected the invitation on account of the fact that she had to work, but Katy had taken it upon herself to dig up all of her old ball gowns and go to her mother's attic to pick up all her old dresses while Maya had been at school.

So imagine Maya's surprise when she had come home to the living room of their tiny apartment looking like a bridal store. There was a huge assortment of dresses, heels, and jewelry all over the place, and upon seeing them Maya smelled trouble and tried to make her getaway before her mom realized she was home. No such luck.

Not only had Katy been waiting to pounce on the couch (hidden behind a purple puffy monstrosity that had no business being seen in this century), but she'd also berated Maya for not taking the opportunity to enjoy herself on something luxurious for once before forcing her to try on every single one of her old dresses.

Which is ultimately why Maya, on Christmas Eve, found herself standing in the lobby of the hotel, deadpan look set in stone, walking unstably in the pointy stilettos her mother had forced her to wear for this event, convincing herself to at least try to be somewhat enthusiastic for at least thirty minutes. Thirty minutes was all her mom asked for. Then she would hightail it out of there, throw the dress in a gutter (she had leggings and a tank in her purse prepared), and then sneak into Riley's room window for the rest of the night and sleep.

It occurred to Maya, as she stood in the doorway of the Grand Ballroom of the hotel that no expenses had been held back to set up for this party. Lawyer's offices sure as heck were rich. Not to mention classy.

It was also _loud _and_ crowded_. The air was filled with noise as people fraternized and laughed, telling jokes, with general schmoozing and ass kissing. She hadn't been able to hear the sheer volume of the noise while she had walked through the corridors to the ballroom. The walls were very well soundproofed.

Maya scratched at her arm as she searched for her best friend. She grew intimidated by the regal women trouncing about in their full-fledged thousand dollar ball gowns. They looked like princesses and duchesses, and Maya felt like Cinderella at the ball before she got the extreme makeover. She felt like a wannabe poor person trying to act like she was rich and belonged. It made her feel inferiour, and she hated seemingly being at a disadvantage. This was stupid. She shouldn't have come.

She had no doubt these women and their children had grown up enjoying luxuries of civil life and were made to mingle and associate with others in a higher class. She felt silly in her mother's old cheap strapless red ball gown. Like she was trying too hard to be someone she was not.

_"__Your father spent a fortune to buy me this dress so many years ago. It was before I gained those extra pounds from carrying you, so I only got to wear it once. But you're about the right size. Try it on."_

_"__It doesn't fit."_

_"__Of course it does! Oh honey… It may not be designer, but you make it look like it's worth a million bucks!"_

Don't get her wrong. It meant the world to her that her mother was lending her such an important, beautiful, and expensive dress, but she had severe cold feet now and she wasn't certain she could go through with this.

"Why did I come here again…?" she muttered under her breath, ignoring the strange look a waiter gave her as he walked by.

Yes. The view was great, and all those handsome young men were definitely an alluring sight to see—especially because of the tux effect—but was it really worth the awkwardness of being out of her element?

More self-conscious than ever, Maya prepared to step out of the doorway and scurry back to the comfort of Riley's high thread count comforter. She looked into the crowd once more, checking to make sure her happy-go-lucky, best friend hadn't caught her here, when her eyes suddenly fell upon an unmistakeable figure standing a few meters away, smirking in that irresistible manner he had and chatting with some of the lawyers' giggling daughters.

It'd been about two years or so since she last saw him, and his hair was neatly combed for once instead of haphazardly tousled. And the effect was humungous. She felt her breath catch. It was kind of embarrassing, the idea of losing your breath at the sight of someone, but she couldn't help it. Since he'd gone to college, she hadn't seen him very often, especially since he was usually busy and lived two hours away. He looked very distinguished and handsome in his proverbial penguin suit, and his azure tie was bringing out the colour in his eyes. She sighed, realizing even after all this time, she still hadn't been able to quite let go of the silly crush she'd had on him in the past (could you blame her though?! He was incredibly attractive. And Maya had always had a thing for tall brunettes. Especially troublemaking tall brunettes).

And then his gaze lifted and a jolt of electricity ran through her spine when their eyes met from several feet away. She straightened and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, only to realize she probably looked so stupid since her hair was completely pinned up in some complicated, swirly, ice cream hair do. He smiled, congenially and amicably, and politely excused himself from conversation with the gaggling group of girls and made his way over to her.

Maya returned it, waving slightly, but mentally hoping she didn't just embarrass herself in front of him. As a college student, he was infinitely cooler than her, and though Maya generally had a strong grip on her behaviour, sometimes she acted crazy in his presence and that was the last thing she wanted right now. To scare him off or something.

She watched as he took her in with an inscrutable expression, wondering if he would make fun of her for trying to dress up. The last time they had seen each other, she was pretty sure, was towards the end of her middle school career when her style had become ripped jeans, baby tees, and leather or jean jackets. She basically didn't dress up.

"Riley thought you wouldn't be coming." Josh greeted as he approached, his trademark easy grin on his face.

Maya adopted her cool, almost look of indifference, "I wasn't. But then I figured why fight Riley when she would just drag me here anyway."

"Good plan." He replied, taking a sip out of his flute of champagne.

"Aren't you underage?" Maya questioned, gesturing to the glass.

"Only for a couple more months. Besides, nobody seems to care."

"You think you could get me one of those?" she whispered conspiratorially, "I don't think I can make it through tonight without being a little buzzed."

He crossed his arms playfully, "Hmm, I don't know. You're very underage, and I don't particularly feel like getting my ass handed to me by Topanga just yet."

"What? You scared?"

"Of Topanga? Definitely." He frowned, not understanding why she felt the trepidation over making it through the night, "Why do you think tonight's going to be rough?"

"Why do _you_ think? I'm a wannabe in a room full of professionals and stuffed shirts. Look at me, Josh." She gestured to the clown outfit she was currently trying to wear.

He took a slight step back, taking her in from the billowing base of her gown to the top of her soft, coiled hair. "I am looking. You're stunning."

She paused, momentarily stunned by his immediate response. "What? This gown is hideous."

"Not on you." He grinned in amusement, his eyes twinkling in mischief.

She gestured wildly to her diamond accessorized hair, not really registering his compliments. "My hair looks like a, a… I don't even know how to describe it!"

"Amazing? Beautiful? Gorgeous? I haven't been able to take my eyes off you since you walked in."

She stared up at him, feeling a blush creep up her cheeks. No doubt he could see it on her face plainly, because she saw his crooked smile appear behind the rim of his glass.

"…Are you already drunk?" She felt off pace and vulnerable in this stupid clown suit. She hated how her shoulders and upper chest were exposed and how if someone stepped on her dress hard enough, it could easily drop to the floor. And she hated how her neck and back were also completely uncovered.

"I _wish_." He laughed, putting his hands up placatingly when she rose a brow, "I'm just giving you a compliment. You really do look good in that dress Maya. It suits you."

And his unabashed compliments were throwing her off. Maybe Josh _was_ being a little flirtatious, but she needed to stay chill. Sure, mentally, she was giddy and her little mind trolls were squealing in excitement, but Maya had long since stopped showing how obsessed she was with him and the last thing she wanted to do was scare him off by acting immature.

"Did you only come over here to tease me, Josh?" she narrowed her eyes, starting to feel a bit peeved. Was he toying with her emotions? He did know that she had a crush on him, but taking advantage of the fact that she liked him was kind of a dick move.

"To be honest, I actually came here to point out what you're standing under." He said simply, pointing a finger up with a smile dancing in his eyes.

Maya looked up above their heads and glared at the offending plant with the red berries. There was no way. She met his gaze again with a raise of an eyebrow.

"You're kidding, right?"

He shrugged with one shoulder, setting his empty glass on the passing waiter's tray.

"It's tradition." He replied simply, as if that answered all the questions in the world.

His blasé attitude and nonchalance over the whole situation was setting Maya's nerves on edge and she felt her palms begin to grow clammy in trepidation. What was he getting at here?

"You're funny, you know?" she deadpanned, "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go find Riley."

He shifted his stance, and Maya grew acutely aware of his broad shoulders and how tall and imposing he was as he completely blocked her view and path away from the provocative plant.

"Riley can wait." He said in an almost apologetic tone of voice. Though he didn't look very apologetic. He looked like he was enjoying himself a little bit too much.

Maya swallowed and took a slight step back, her pulse beginning to race. Four years ago, she would have wanted absolutely nothing more than a kiss from him, but she had grown up from her rambunctious, almost reckless life since she was a kid and had learned to control her feelings and emotions. _Especially_ the little crush she'd had on him. She'd been kissed before. By lots of people, but this wasn't just a random guy. This was Joshua Matthews. Someone she'd been trying to get over for many years because she realized nothing would ever happen between them.

"Y-you can't just pretend like this never happened?" she stumbled through her words, trying to find some way to escape the situation.

He nodded at a few adults who passed through the entrance, glancing at them curiously. Maya ignored them, instead, trying to find her escape through the crowd. What were her odds at making a run for it and escaping him? She knew with those heels on, the farthest she'd probably get was three steps before she'd probably tumble to the ground. And she sure as hell didn't want to possibly accidentally step on her dress and pull it down herself.

"No can do, Maya. Rules are rules."

"You don't _have to_ follow the mistletoe rule you know? If you ended up under the mistletoe with your best friend, would you kiss him?"

"Sure I would." He grinned widely, "It's all in the spirit of the holiday. Doesn't mean anything. You would kiss Riley, wouldn't you?"

Begrudgingly, she realized she would, and neither of them would care. But this wasn't the same situation at all. Maya felt her face and neck flush, and she cursed the fact that she'd ever been enamored with him in the first place.

"You know, I don't have time for this. I'm sure there are plenty of other girls who would rather be in my place right now. I can call one over if you'd like?"

She made as if to call one of them over, but he stopped her.

"I wouldn't like that."

The corners of his mouth had settled into a small, intimate smile, and Maya swallowed thickly at the low tone of his voice. Her eyes met his gaze again and she searched them, each of her breaths growing a bit more shallow at the profound expression lingering in his eyes.

She sighed, trying to clear her turbulent thoughts, "What do you want?"

Josh leaned slightly closer to her, a slow smile growing on his face. Maya forced herself to hold her ground at the small invasion of her personal space.

"I want to kiss you."

She blinked silently in surprise, eyes wide in confusion. His words took her so much by surprise that for a few good moments, she just gaped slack jawed at him, completely taken off guard by his blunt declaration. He wanted to kiss her? Was this all in the holiday spirit like he'd mentioned earlier, or was he alluding to something entirely different? Should she have been reading more into this exchange? She frowned and watched him momentarily, his hands clasped behind his back, patiently watching her in amusement as she sorted out her thoughts and figured out how to respond to him.

For the first time in thirteen years, Maya had no words to quickly respond. Damn him.

Was this a joke to him? Was he pitying her just because she just happened to have a crush on him that would go nowhere? Or maybe he really wanted to kiss her?

Regardless of his reason, Maya couldn't find any reason to say no.

Because let's face it: she definitely wanted to be kissed by him.

Swallowing harshly, she formed her resolve and faced him once again, her expression steeled and body tense with anticipation. "Okay." She said, pretending to be in control, though her face was on fire. How big a deal could this be? She could handle it. It was just a little kiss. No reason to get obsessive over it.

"You sure you're okay?" he asked, watching as she obviously fought with herself.

She nodded twice tersely and then clenched her eyelids shut tightly, mentally preparing herself with fervor. He snorted in amusement at how obviously nervous she was. It was honestly a little flattering in a way.

Josh took a step closer to her, so that the distance between them was near nonexistent and slowly wrapped his arm loosely around her waist. Maya's eyes clenched tighter as his fingers moved lightly underneath her chin. She forced herself to ignore the brush of his clothes against her chest and then the alluring scent of his aftershave and fiery cologne as he hovered close to her face. She tried not to pinch her face or purse her lips when he applied the lightest pressure to her chin, lifting it up ever so slightly. And then she felt the soft press of his lips… on her cheek, close to the corner of her mouth.

He lingered for a moment before pulling away entirely, and Maya's eyes snapped open in confusion and slight disappointment.

"Merry Christmas Maya." He said, a secretive little smile on his face.

"…Thanks. You too."

He jerked his thumb towards a table closer to the center of the room, "Riley's sitting over there. See you later."

Maya watched him go, knowing she had been expecting and wanting a different kind of kiss, though her body still felt a little warm from the gesture. She almost felt a little embarrassed by how flustered she had gotten and how badly she had jumped to conclusions about the whole ordeal. He hadn't even been planning to kiss her properly on the mouth. No wonder he had been so amused by her disapproval and nerves.

Knowing she shouldn't dwell too much on the little kiss anymore, she quickly left the area and headed toward her best friend's table, especially when she noticed Farkle had been approaching her from the right with determination. That was so not going to happen.

As Riley caught Maya's eye and stood up, bounding over to her in excitement and glomping her friend, excited that she had decided to come afterall, Maya smiled.

So maybe she had been wrong.

Maybe not _all_ Christmas parties sucked.


End file.
